1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatuses for playing Roulette and an improved Roulette game surface for conducting additional wagers in a Roulette wheel game.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Roulette is a well-known game of chance enjoyed throughout the world. The equipment used for playing roulette generally comprises a roulette wheel and a game surface.
The roulette wheel generally comprises a horizontally disposed wheel mounted in a bowl-shaped housing. The wheel is adapted to rotate about a vertical axis and includes a plurality of pockets disposed around its periphery. Each pocket has a unique number associated with the pocket, as well as a color associated therewith. Each pocket is adapted to receive a small ball, which is introduced into the bowl-shaped housing by an operator or croupier as the wheel is set in motion. The wheel is typically spun in one direction and the ball projected around the circumference of the housing in an opposite direction. As the ball loses speed, it rolls down the concave housing wall, eventually coming to rest in one of the pockets. The outcome or result of the spin is the number and color associated with the pocket in which the ball comes to rest.
The game surface includes a plurality of wagering areas indicating various numbers, colors, parities (the odd or even quality of a number) and groupings of numbers. One or more players make wagers on a predicted outcome of a spin of the roulette wheel. A players indicates his or her wager by placing one or more wagering devices, such as chips or markers representing an amount of the wager, at a predetermined location on the game surface corresponding to a predicted outcome of a spin of the roulette wheel. There are several types of wagers possible in the traditional Roulette game. For example, one may place a wager on a single number, or two numbers (by placing your chip so it straddles the line on the game board surface between any two numbers). There are red, black, odd and even bets, and, a “dozens” bet made on the 12 consecutive numbers where wagers are placed in boxes marked 1-12, 13-24 or 25-36, for example, for a 36 number roulette game.
In attempts to enhance the betting opportunities of the traditional Roulette game including a board game surface and roulette wheel, besides providing the ability to place traditional wagers, e.g., wager on a particular number by placing one or more chips or markers within the wagering area(s) corresponding to that number, or, wager on groupings of individual numbers, additional novel wagering areas have been proposed for additional “side betting.”
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,442 describes a modified roulette game offering an additional betting opportunity. When a winning bet in the conventional layout is determined by the operation of the roulette wheel, a random number generator also generates and displays one of the conventional roulette numbers, i.e, 1-36, 0 or 00. If the number displayed by the random number generator is the same as the winning number that is determined by the roulette wheel spin outcome, the side bet on that number is an additional winning bet.
This prior art Roulette game requires use of an additional random number generator, which may certainly add to the cost and complexity of the game.
It would thus be highly desirable to provide an enhanced Roulette game having a game board surface that provides for additional side-betting opportunity besides the traditional Roulette wagering in a simple and manner.